


Adventure

by spinner33



Series: CM - Close to Canon [35]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 02:11:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5357024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinner33/pseuds/spinner33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Aloeswood: Reid’s surveillance detail has to fix a technical SNAFU without alerting Hotch or Reid to the problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adventure

Lieutenant Spaulding was a few minutes early when she pulled into the driveway in the morning. Two vehicles were concealed behind the barn – a Jeep and a Hummer. She pulled her gun from the glove box and put it in her holster. Pulled on her jacket. Locked the door. Headed for work.

Ensign Arthur and Lieutenant MacPhail were both in the observation room. James was chuckling and jabbing Miles in the shoulder. The young lieutenant was no more than four years older than the ensign, and they were on friendly terms in spite of being from two different branches of the armed services – one former Navy and the other a Marine.

“Here she is. Morning, Lieutenant. Hey, they like you. You could do the fun job with no problems,” Arthur chirped.

“What ‘fun’ job?” Spaulding asked grimly.

“Take a look at monitor three,” the ensign pointed.

Amy scanned her eyes over the third monitor from the left. She caught her breath. It showed the interior of the kitchen. Hotch was making coffee, blissfully unaware that his half-naked body was perfectly framed by the camera.

“Oh my god. Hotchner’s got hair on his back too? That’s so gross,” Spaulding whispered. “When did we decide we needed a camera there?” she asked, wondering at the bruise on Hotch’s shoulder. Was that a love bite?

“Dr. Reid had an altercation with a colleague at work yesterday, and his boss’s boss gave General Scott a call to let him know that we needed to intensify our surveillance of the doctor even while he’s a home,” MacPhail explained.

“Except that Miles put the camera in backwards,” James grinned. “Instead of the back porch, you’re seeing the kitchen through the window in the door.”

“Lieutenant, you’re supposed to be our technology specialist. Were you having a bad night?” Spaulding asked, giving Miles a stern look.

“Don’t ask,” he sighed.

“Be gentle. He’s upset,” James explained gleefully. 

“Why is he upset?”

“He walked in on them,” Arthur whispered.

“Walked in on…..?” Spaulding puzzled. MacPhail covered his eyes with one hand. “Oh!” Amy exclaimed, snickering. “Like, how far?” she worried. Miles shook his head, frowning.

“Really far,” Arthur confirmed.

“Oh….” Amy surmised. Miles was about as red as his short-cropped hair. “Sometimes this is not just a job, it’s an adventure.”

“That was way too much adventure for me,” Miles protested. 

“Does it bother you?” Spaulding worried.

“No. I got a cousin who’s gay. I don’t care. I really don’t. But I don’t want to watch.”

“Then why did you stay so long?” Arthur quizzed Miles maliciously. “I thought he was never coming back,” he babbled to Amy.

“I heard them, and thought…you know, maybe the hairy guy was hurting the doctor, so…I…um…”

“Were they playing with the handcuffs again?” Spaulding smiled.

“No, no handcuffs, thank God!”

“Wait. So you were there long enough to determine that they weren’t playing with handcuffs? You stood in the doorway and watched for that long?” Arthur laughed. "This, you did not tell me!"

“If you had heard the noises he was making….” Miles defended.

“When are you planning to take your butt back in there and turn the camera the other way?” Spaulding demanded.

“Lieutenant? Oh please. Don’t make me go back in there,” Miles whined.

“You better make it quick. Dr. Reid’s is coming down to the kitchen,” Arthur said, eyes craning at monitor three again. Reid was wearing one of Hotch’s shirts, a faded- black one which read ‘Property of SWAT’. He nestled against Hotch’s chest and wrapped his arms all around him, prowling kisses through hair and skin and scars alike with equal fervor. Miles’s mouth dropped open. Amy covered her eyes and turned around. She made Arthur turn around too.

“Are they always like this in the mornings?” Miles worried.

“The doctor hasn’t had his coffee yet. He’s not human until he gets caffeine. Better make it snappy, Miles,” Amy added.

Arthur nudged Spaulding in the shoulder. “Okay. Fuck or die. You have to pick one of them. Do you go with the hairy behemoth or the deranged doctor?”

“Why do I have to choose?” Amy protested.

“Play with me,” Arthur pleaded as Miles frowned at the monitor.

“Which one would you choose?” Spaulding asked, hoping she hadn’t revealed anything about Arthur that would shock Miles. These two had been working the night shift together for months, and surely the topic of Arthur’s sexuality had come up before now?

“Aren’t nerdy geniuses supposed to be asexual and celibate?” Miles muttered, annoyed.

“I would have to go with the deranged doctor,” Arthur said. 

“Why?” Amy wondered.

“What if they saw me last night? What do I say?” Miles demanded. The others were ignoring him.

“Why him? Because the doctor has never stuck a gun in my face. Besides, he makes good cookies,” Arthur mused.

“I’d probably go with the hairy one, but I would get him man-scaped within an inch of his life,” Spaulding said finally.

“Lieutenant…” Miles begged.

“What about you, Miles? Fuck or die. Pick one of them,” Spaulding tormented.

Miles stared hard at the monitor, and then at his team mates.

“Die,” he decided.

"No...." Arthur sighed, hanging his head.

“Marines have no sense of humor,” Amy laughed. "Miles, you better hurry, before they decide to get nasty with the maple syrup,” Spaulding recommended, watching Hotch pop frozen waffles into the toaster.

“But...”

“Miles,” Spaulding said, taking the young man by the shoulders. “Go knock quietly on the door, explain who you are, tell them you need to do a sweep for bugs. Take the camera out. Tell them it’s a surveillance bug. Tomorrow night, find a different place to hide it. And for fuck’s sake, Miles, outside, exterior views only. We aren’t allowed to observe the doctor in the privacy of his home, for reasons that should be plainly obvious to you after last night’s little adventure.”

“But, Lieutenant…”

“Miles, don’t be such a baby,” Spaulding scolded. 

“I’ll go do it,” Arthur offered happily.

“Thank you thank you thank you,” Miles said.

“You’re hoping for breakfast, aren’t you? You are such a mooch,” Spaulding scowled playfully at him. “All right. You go,” she agreed, patting the ensign on the shoulder and sending him on his way. “Miles, come and sit. Watch and learn,” she said, pointing at the monitors and taking over Arthur’s seat.


End file.
